Tag: prostate surgery

Categories
Enlarged Prostate

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Each Procedure

When it comes to seeking treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, it's important to consider the pros and cons of each treatment approach, as well as the benefits and risks.

When it comes to seeking treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of each treatment approach, as well as the benefits and risks.

Being aware of the benefits, as well as the potential risks and complications of each treatment or procedure, can be of great help when working with your doctor to determine which is best for you. Taking into account not only the benefits and risks but also looking at how each procedure fits with your individual lifestyle and prostate condition.

Today we will start by looking at the treatment method that for most of the 20th century, roughly from 1909 until the late 1990s, has been the premier treatment for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. That treatment method is transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

TURP became famous among the treatment methods for BPH when it became the first successful, minimally invasive surgical procedure of the modern era. And, to this day, it remains a standard therapy for obstructive prostatic hypertrophy and is often the surgical treatment of choice when other methods fail.

However, as more medications and non-invasive non-surgical procedures have become available, such as prostate artery embolization, the need for a surgical intervention like TURP has been reduced substantially.

That being said, TURP continues to be performed due to its effectiveness in treating and relieving the symptoms of an enlarged prostate. But as with all surgeries, it does come with its own set of possible risks and unwanted side effects that should be taken into consideration.

So let’s take a look at what those are.

A successful TURP procedure involves removing prostate tissue through the urethra, thus allowing urine and other bodily fluids to pass through more easily.

TURP is a serious surgery that involved anesthesia and the use of a catheter during and post-operation, as well as a recovery that includes a hospital stay.

The most common side effects experienced by men after the TURP procedures are:

Swelling in the urethra, penis, and lower abdominal area.

This swelling can cause these areas to be tender, red, and swollen for several weeks after the surgery, and can cause problems with urination.

Another common side effect is feeling weak and tired easily. This side effect can last for several weeks as the body recovers from the operation.

Other common side effects of TURP surgeries include but are not limited to:

  • bleeding after the operation – this usually reduces over time and should stop after four weeks
  • difficulty completely emptying the bladder
  • urinary incontinence or leakage
  • urinary urgency or the sudden urge to urinate
  • discomfort during urination
  • small dribbles or clots of blood in the urine, for up to 6 weeks

Another potential side effect of the TURP procedure is something called retrograde ejaculation, which is the result of semen flowing backward into the bladder during ejaculation.

Though retrograde ejaculation isn’t necessarily harmful, it can cause potential complications such as male infertility and can make the male orgasm less pleasurable.

In our next article, we will take a look at some of the rare, but possible risks associated with the TURP procedure, and then we will move on to looking at the benefits and risks of other popular procedures to treat a symptomatic enlarged prostate.

In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about a state-of-the-art non-invasive treatment that could be an option for you, please contact our office today to set up a consultation and learn more about Prostate Artery Embolization.

 

Categories
Enlarged Prostate

Early Treatment Methods

By the late 1800s, physicians found a link between prostate size and a man's age, as well as between prostate growth and testosterone.

By the late 1800s, physicians had found a link between prostate size and a man’s age, as well as between prostate growth and testosterone.

This discovery set the foundation for developing various treatment methods in order to relieve the uncomfortable symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate.

Though it wasn’t until centuries later that the more effective treatments that we use today, such as transurethral resection of the prostate, medications, and prostate artery embolization, became available- These procedures owe a debt of gratitude to the many physicians that came before, who opened the path to finding the best treatment for what would later be known as benign prostate hyperplasia.

Unfortunately part of this journey involved making mistakes along the way.

One notable example is a procedure performed by some physicians in the 1800s who thought that the condition of an enlarged prostate could be cured by removing the testicles. Yikes.

Fortunately, this method fell out of practice shortly thereafter. And, fortunately, many other physicians did not use this technique, and instead, continued to study the enlarged prostate and the impact that it can have on a man’s health. All in an attempt to find the most effective and efficient way to treat the condition.

One of the turning points in the development of prostate procedures to treat an enlarged prostate, took place in 1891.

A physician in Arizona had found a way to treat the prostate condition by removing prostate tissue through an incision made in the perineum—the area between the scrotum and rectum. This would later be called a perineal prostatectomy.

Following this breakthrough procedure, all sorts of other prostate surgeries began to pop up.

Eugene Fuller, a New York City Physician, developed the  “suprapubic procedure.”

The suprapubic procedure is the surgical removal of the prostate through an incision made in the lower abdomen and bladder.

The suprapubic procedure showed promising results and opened the door for another physician, Hampton Young to get even better results by using the same perineal incision to remove the prostatic mass.

Dr. Young, a urologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital also discovered that if he pushed the gland upward from the rectum, it could ease and complete the excision, making the removal more complete.

Hampton Young went on to become known as the “Father of American Urology,” and continued to refine and perfect his technique for treating an enlarged prostate.

In our next article, we will continue looking at the history of treating benign prostate hyperplasia, by diving deeper into the impact that Dr. Hampton Young had on the treatment of it, as well as take a look at the advancements made by the many physicians that followed.